Thread: wrong lawn treated today

Today we got a call from a longtime customer reporting that a competitor treated her lawn by mistake. She prepaid us for the year, and we were only 2 or 3 days away from applying "our product" on her property.

I just got in this afternoon, so the phone was passed over to me. I told her everything would be okay, but she wanted to know the difference between what her lawn "would have received" compared what was applied by this other outfit. So I told her.....we use 34-3-11 plus micro's (slow release) on clay soil lawns right now. She is also an ISU grad, and she knows that our program was developed by this university. Then she asked if we had a product to apply to "make up the difference" in nutrients missing (especially micronutrients because she has clay soil). I basically told her would be alright. I felt bad.

Tough deal all around. We'll carry over a credit on her account for 2008. We lost income, and her lawn did not get the best of nutrients.

UOTE=terryenterprises;2018550]yeah, i must say im guilty of that too. Its an embarrassing mistake, but a common one. Just wait til you aerate the wrong yard and break a sprinkler. A buddy of mine got fired for that.[/QUOTE]

yup happens time to time, and 9 times outa 10 it was
chemlawn.
if it happens in the early part of the year, i usually just
delay the app, but still do all the apps. if it were the fall,
i guess thats not as likely possibility, maybe substitute
a lime/gyp/etc...

yeah, i must say im guilty of that too. Its an embarrassing mistake, but a common one. Just wait til you aerate the wrong yard and break a sprinkler. A buddy of mine got fired for that.

I had a customer tell me to aerate 3 of her friends lawns, ended up she never talked to them and the 3rd one had an invisible underground dog fence and the line got ruined. Not my fault, but it still sucks-now I always ask for phone numbers so I can call b4.

I had a customer tell me to aerate 3 of her friends lawns, ended up she never talked to them and the 3rd one had an invisible underground dog fence and the line got ruined.

Ouch!!!

Only once (that I know of) as a tech did I completely treat the wrong property. Although several times I started spraying trees on the right property and treated neighbors trees when there was no clear property line. Once I was accidentally spraying an organic vineyards' sycamore trees and the farmer saw me and freaked out. Fortunately I was only using hort oil and it smoothed over ok.

I have heard of that happening because Chem Lawn pays there sales people by every yard they get so right before the sales people are going to quit they make up some fake contracts with the peoples names on them and get paid then they quit and then this is what happens.

I have heard of that happening because Chem Lawn pays there sales people by every yard they get so right before the sales people are going to quit they make up some fake contracts with the peoples names on them and get paid then they quit and then this is what happens.